Document 1.pdf

Auckland
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February
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Outbreak 2021
Internal Review of the INFORMATION
Auckland February
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Outbreak 2021 R
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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Outbreak Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Incident Management Team Structure ............................................................................................................... 4
Review Methodology Process  ............................................................................................................................... 4
Summary Key Findings ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Recommendations
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................................................................................................................................................... 7
Thematic Analysis  ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
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Next Steps  .................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Our Process for Continuous Improvement  ...................................................................................................... 8
Conclusion  .................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Appendix  ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Table: Recommendations and Actions  ........................................................................................................... 10
INFORMATION
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Introduction
A key strength of New Zealand’s response to COVID-19 has been our commitment to continually
review, adjust and take our learnings forward into future activities.
The  purpose  of  this  internal  review  of  the  Ministry  of  Health’s  public  health  response  to  the
‘February Auckland Outbreak,’ is to uncover the challenges experienced and lessons identified, to
inform  our  process  of,  and  commitment  to,  continuous  improvement.  The  all-of-government
response is not in scope. The review outlines specific actions and work streams addressing issues
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identified.
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Outbreak summary and timeline
The February Auckland Outbreak reported 15 cases, 89 close-plus contacts, 2150 close contacts
and 3775 casual-plus contacts. Cases A – O were identified between 13 February and 28 February
2021 across four different households in the Auckland region. Several cases were associated with
Papatoetoe High School which was classed as a high-risk exposure event due to the nature of the
school environment and location.
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14 February 2021
Three new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the community. In response to this, the decision
was made for Auckland to move to Alert Level 3 at 11:59pm for three days. Simultaneously, the
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rest of New Zealand moved to Alert Level 2 for three days.
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17 February 2021
As previously signalled, Auckland moved to Alert Level 2 at 11:59pm, and the rest of the country
to Alert Level 1.
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22 February 2021
One new case was identified who had been in the community during their infectious period (Case
J). At this point the management of contacts was amended, to support targeted containment,
effectively escalating their classification to the next ‘highest’ category.
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27 February 2021
Two further cases were identified in the community during their infectious period (Case M and N).
Case M had several exposure events, including at the Manukau Institute of Technology and City
Fitness Gym. Based on this risk and there being (at the time) no clear epidemiological link, to the
previous cases, Cabinet decided to raise Alert Levels again on 28 February.
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28 February 2021
Auckland moved to Alert Level 3 at 6:00am and the rest of the country to Alert Level 2.
7 March 2021
Auckland moved back down to Alert Level 2 at 6:00am and the rest of New Zealand to Alert Level
1.
Outbreak Closure
The Auckland February Outbreak was deemed officially closed on 6 April 2021, 28 days after the
last case recovered.
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Incident Management Team Structure
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The Ministry of Health COVID-19 Incident Management Team (IMT) manages and coordinates the
overall response to COVID-19 incidents and outbreaks and is the point of contact for Public Health
Units (PHUs), Ministers, the Executive Leadership Team, and other stakeholders. IMT is activated
upon identification of a community case of COVID-19 and includes Ministry staff from the COVID-
19 Directorate, Māori Health, Pacific Health, System Strategy and Policy, Clinical Advisors, Office
of the Director of Public Health and others as required.   INFORMATION
Organisations  outside  of  the  Ministry  of  Health,  who  were  involved  in  the  response  to  the
Auckland February Outbreak, include:
• Auckland Regional Public Health (ARPHS)
• Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC)
• Institute of Environmental Science and Research (E
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• Healthline
• Counties Manukau DHB
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• Waikato DHB
• Taranaki DHB
• Northland DHB
• Ministry of Education
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• New Zealand Police
• All of Government Group - Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (AOG, DPMC)
• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
Many  of  these  organisations  have  completed  a  review  process  of  their  internal  response
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management.  The  Ministry  of  Health  is  cognisant  of  these  reviews,  and  that  actions  and
continuous improvement will be ongoing across the system.
Review Methodology Process
This formal review of the Auckland February Outbreak encompasses findings from the following:
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1. A  discussion  at  a  meeting  with  PHUs  on  3  March  2021  chaired  by  Dr  Marion  Poore
captured the reflections of PHUs’ work during the February Outbreak and included insights
on how to strengthen their own capacity and capability.
2. A debrief held on 9 March 2021 between the National Investigation and Tracing Centre
(NITC) and the PHUs which were involved in supporting ARPHS with the management of
symptomatic contacts during the outbreak.
3. A self-assessment questionnaire was developed by the Ministry’s COVID-19 Advisory and
Planning group and distributed by the COVID-19 Deputy Chief Executive on 12 March to
key parties involved in the response, to gain insight from all those involved in the outbreak
response.  Findings  were  collected,  analysed  and  summarised  in  preparation  for  the
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workshop indicated below.
4. A debrief on 15 March 2021, chaired by Chris Scahill, Group Manager COVID-19 Health
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System Response was also held (in-person) with ARPHS and the NRHCC.
5. On 30 March 2021 Jane Kelley, Group Manager Planning and Advisory, COVID-19 Health
System Response Directorate, facilitated a workshop with all stakeholders involved in the
response  to  discuss  in  greater  detail  their  experiences  and  insights  into  the  Auckland
February Outbreak. This was also an opportunity to share key findings in relation to the
questionnaire.
6. During the Auckland February Outbreak 2021, the Ministry undertook ‘real time’ learning
INFORMATION
and process improvement with a number of elements of the review such as the ‘contact
tracing classification system’ being rapidly review. These actions are also included in the
attached Action Plan.
7. The Ministry of Health has also contributed to the Ministerial Review process currently
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underway by the ‘COVID-19 Independent Continuous Review, Improvement and Advice
Group.’ This group was established in March 2021 to examine every aspect of the
government’s response to the COVI
THE  D-19 response including the strategic direction, public
communications and planning.
Summary Key
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What is evident in the findings of this review is that the organisations involved in response have
continued  to  operate  under  a  process  of  ongoing  improvement  and  agility  throughout  the
response, which has pro
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thanks to the system’s commitment to continuous review, learning and improvement, that the
response process continues to improve with each successive outbreak.
The positive feedback received includes:
•
Overall, the IMT processes followed were efficient and clear. There was positive
collaboration with external stakeholders, and the response as a whole to the Auckland
February Outbreak was deemed successful.
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•
Regular IMT ‘stand-ups’ made it far easier to determine issue management and response
appropriately.
•
In comparison to the August outbreak, it was identified that relationships between
organisations have improved and strengthened. It was also noted that there is a
maturing relationship with Healthline and the NITC, and the associated systems and ways
of working collaboratively have continued to improve.
•
All relevant stakeholders were able to access all the required processes, procedures and
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in relation to the response, and were familiar with
these processes beforehand.
•
Daily communication is proving to work very well.
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•
Call centre scale activation measures were well documented and activated early.
•
The whole of government response escalation resurgence plan was referenced and of
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assistance to the IMT response.
•
It was noted there is large amount of goodwill, collaboration and sharing of the
workload across the wider PHU network, especially with case management. This has
further strengthened New Zealand’s public health management capacity.
•
Close relationships and regular meetings between IMT core members and the ARPHS
were extremely beneficial to a successful response to this outbreak.
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•
Increased community testing capacity to meet demand in Auckland worked well.
•
The process for travel exemptions across regional boundaries of Alert Levels was
smoother.
The review identified challenges and improvements which were common threads across all
organisations involved in the response, including:
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•
Vaccination - many of the PHUs sought additional information and assistance from the
Ministry on the COVID-19 vaccination rol
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which would trigger ‘ring’ vaccination. At the time of the February outbreak the
vaccination program was activating, with finalised plans not yet fully in place (these now
exist).
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•
Capability - the health system overall needs to continue to work proactively to upskill
additional capability, to support increased case management, source investigation and
follow-up on MIQ cases. The review also identified that, in addition to this, staff burnout
remains a real risk to the system.
•
Capacity - there is a need for continuous review of PHU workload and surge capacity,
considering the im
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health activities, such as the MMR campaign. This must be undertaken giving due
consideration to the fact that staff are tired and at risk of burnout.
•
Communication - both internal and external organisations identified that
communications from the Ministry could be improved, specifically for the Ministry’s
website and the distinction between ‘stay at home’ versus ‘self-isolation.’ This was
identified as a difficult distinction for many primary care services and the general
population to understand.
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•
Cross-government collaboration - stronger alignment of communications across
government agencies, would be beneficial to supporting a successful response.
Specifically, with welfare support, there needs to be a more rapid coordination and
response engagement with the Ministry of Social Development.
•
Policy - need for greater clarity on processes for alert level changes.
•
Engagement - consistent and proactive engagement with Ministers and their Offices to
ensure alignment of communications and establish expectations for the process ahead of
time.
•
Readiness frameworks - need to review current frameworks in advance of any further
outbreaks, giving consideration to lessons learned around testing operations, welfare
surge and contact tracing escalation.
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•
Roles and responsibilities - the need to continue to confirm decision-making and sign out
processes  internally,  and  separately  further  refine  the  roles  and  responsibiliti
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NRHCC and ARPHS.
•
Privacy - ensure information discussed in IMT meetings and documented in SitReps and
Case Reports is kept secure and confidential.
Recommendations  INFORMATION
Considering  the  findings  from  the  Auckland  February  Outbreak  review,  we  have  outlined
recommendations as part of a wider action plan, to improve the Ministry’s response to community
outbreaks. The key themes identified to strengthen planning and execution of future responses
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are as follows:
1. Improving the coordination and provision of welfare support to affected communities
2. Ensuring the balance between publ
THE  ic need for information and individual privacy
3. Ensuring the public has both up-to-date data, as well as, the narrative around the science
and public health risk
4. Further mitigate risk of staff burnout and workforce pressures across the health system
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as a whole
5. Timely and consistent engagement with Ministers
6. Refreshing and enhancing national level frameworks and guidance for the health
response to an outbreak
7. Improving engagement by Government agencies with, and support to, at-risk
communities with cultural understanding and consideration
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8. Continue to clarify roles and responsibilities during an outbreak response and ensure they
are appropriately supported
Many any of these recommendations were already underway or already have existing processes,
however the review findings provide an opportunity to further strengthen these where applicable. In
addition to the internal Ministry recommendations highlighted through the review process,
external agencies have identified specific agency level recommendations. The Ministry of Health
continues to work alongside and support key response partners, including DHBs, PHUs and
Healthline to support their continuous improvement.
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Overarching Thematic Analysis
It is widely agreed that the systems and procedures for the incident management response to a
community  outbreak  is  largely  a  smooth  process.  There  are,  however,  three  overarching
improvements  to  the  IMT  response  system  which  are  owned  by  the  IMT  team  and  are  to  be
continuously addressed as we respond to further outbreaks.
1.
Further enabling the Ministry’s IMT, ARPHS, Healthline and NRHCC, to establish greater
foresight in anticipating ‘next steps’ in the management of an outbreak.
2.
Continuing to connect more closely with key partner agencies, such as the Ministry of
Education and Ministry for Primary Industries.
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3.
Enhancing  the  approach  to  the  classification  of  contacts  and  communication  to
contacts, to ensure a robust, efficient and effective contact tracing function.
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Whilst the primary goal of this review is to examine the challenges of those involved in the most
recent COVID-19 response team, and highlight the pressures experienced across the system as a
whole, the key outcome will be the implementation of the recommendations in order to achieve
continuous  improvement.  An  action  plan  will  ensure  responsibilities  and  accountabilities  are
assigned to each recommendation (attached at appendix 1).
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Next Steps
Our Process for Continuous Improvement
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The Ministry of Health is committed to improving our practice as we learn more about the nature
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of COVID-19 and from previous responses. The uniqueness of this global pandemic has led New
Zealand to rapidly improve and implement changes to both our health and disability system and
wider societal framework. The Government has had to be ingenious and develop processes and
solutions concurrently with responding to this global pandemic. The Ministry’s practice to review
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and reflect on each outbreak has developed a culture of continuous improvement. Actions will be
tracked and updated as part of our business as usual processes.
Conclusion
New Zealand is widely regarded as a world leader in our response to the pandemic, in which the
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Government’s quick action helped to avoid mass infections that have been observed across the
globe. At its core, our response processes and practices have led much of our national success in
containing  community  outbreaks.  It  should  be  acknowledged,  that  the  COVID-19  response
structure  is largely a  success  within the  ‘Stamp  It Out’  pillar  of  our  wider  national elimination
strategy.
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However,  success  is  not  possible  without  reflecting  on  how  we  can  do  better.  As  part  of  our
process of continuous improvement, this internal review into the Auckland February Outbreak has
highlighted areas which can be improved.
Finally,  we  would  like  to  thank  everyone  involved  in  the  COVID-19  response  to  the  Auckland
February Outbreak, and for their continued efforts to fight COVID-19 and keep New Zealand safe.
The Ministry of Health recognises that this has been a huge challenge for our public service, and
our country. On behalf of the Ministry, we wish to thank all New Zealanders for their support and
commitment in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
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INFORMATION
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RECOMMENDATION 1: Improve the coordination and provision of welfare support to affected communities
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
Ensure PHUs are receiving relevant welfare support
DPMC Response Group
Welfare support to individuals affected by positive COVID-19, the front-line workers who
Ongoing
(Health input/DPMC led)
are  involved  in  case  management  and  the  connections  across  government  are  the
Continue  to  upskill  DHBs  to  respond  to  welfare  concerns  and  ensure
responsibility of the all-of-government function
frameworks deliver public health actions
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Further  develop  the  welfare  component  of  COVID-19  response  and
District Health Boards (DHBs) have been advised of the funding and support services
strengthen links with MSD
available via communication sent from the Ministry of Health in April 2021
Strengthen escalation pathway for contact management e.g.  home visits
GM COVID-19 Contact
Contract  tracing  processes  to  support  COVID-19  contacts  has  been  completed
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Tracing
(HR2021056 refers). All PHUs have been advised of this protocol.
Ensure DHBs are planning to respond to welfare needs of contacts that will
GM Border and Managed
DHBs are funded to plan for and provide wrapround services for contacts asked to self-
Underway
support  individuals  to  adhere  to  frameworks  and  deliver  public  health
Isolation/DPMC Response
isolate. DPMC to assist with clear protocols and timely support.
advice e.g. self-isolation
Group
RECOMMENDATION 2: Ensure the balance between public need for information and individual privacy is met
Action
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Progress
Status
Ensure all information pertaining to an outbreak is sent through the IMT
GM COVID-19 Response
Continuing to redirect all information through IMT process. This is improving with each
Ongoing
pathway to ensure consistent advice is provided externally
response INFORMATION
Further  refine  approach  when  considering  public  release  of  the  private
Manager Privacy and Risk/
Ongoing work to develop a set of principles by which information (pertaining to cases
Ongoing
information of cases
Chief Legal Advisor
in an outbreak) is released
Ensure  the  balance  between  respecting  private  information  and
GM Communications and
Refresh the privacy protocols in line with new considerations e.g. the vaccination status
Underway
communicating up-to-date and accurate information is met
Engagement/ Manager
of cases
Privacy and Risk   OFFICIAL
RECOMMENDATION 3: Ensure the public has both up-to-date data as well as the narrative around public health risk
Action
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Progress
Status
Ensure the Ministry’s website is updated concurrently with the information
GM Communications and
The Ministry’s website has been updated and will continue to be updated as required
Complete
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shared  with  PHUs  to  reduce  public  confusion  on  the  management  of
Engagement
contacts
Stronger alignment of communications across government agencies
GM Communications and
Utilise  the  established  DPMC  COVID-19  Group  communications  function  to  enable
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Engagement
greater all-of-government connection
The Ministry’s communications team has a strong working relationship with DPMC. Key
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health messages are signed out by Health and delivered to DPMC.
Reinforce the message that the SitReps are the single source of truth for
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
A  new  SitRep  template  is  undergoing  final  review  process.  This  will  standardise
Ongoing
information relating to an outbreak
information  provided  through  this  method,  alongside  a  reduction  in  those  on  the
distribution list
Ensure the Public Information Management (PIM) team are present with
GM COVID-19 Response
PIM are regular attendees at IMT meetings during response
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the IMT Response team during an outbreak or function ‘stand up.’
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RECOMMENDATION 4: Address risk of staff burnout and workforce pressures across the health system as a whole
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
Formalise mechanisms to continue to develop knowledge and experience
Chief Clinical Advisor,
Looking to establish a more formal process where PHU staff from regions outside of
Future
of all national PHU staff in case management and source investigation
COVID-19 Response
Auckland  are  rotated  through  ARPHS  to  gain  outbreak  management  experience.  To
date, staff have been rotated in on an ad-hoc basis  1982
Continue to monitor PHU workload, burnout and available surge capacity,
GM COVID-19 Response
Response team are continuing to offer support and assistance to PHUs as they manage
Ongoing
taking into consideration workforce implications from vaccine rollout and
high workloads. We have previously embedded clinicians within PHUs on occasion to
volume of contacts
boost their surge capacity. The COVID-19 Directorate is collaborating with the Ministry’s
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Population Health and Prevention Directorate and Office of Director of Public Health
work to ensure and aligned work programme to assist PHUs with wider workforce and
resourcing issues are addressed
The Ministry has also been working with the Public Service Commission to utilise their
workforce expertise and associated tools
Considering  the  above  action;  strengthen  COVID-19  national  outbreak
GM COVID-19 Contact
The NITC has worked with PHUs to develop a national outbreak response teamwork
Underway
surge response team to support future national responses
Tracing
programme. PHUs have been sharing their resources nationally on an as-willing and as-
able basis. The Ministry is also working with DHBs, PHUs and trade unions to formalise
current arrangements. The target date for activation is May 2021
INFORMATION
Review PHU case investigation and contact tracing capacity plans including
GM COVID-19 Contact
The NITC is working with the Population Health and Prevention Directorate to revise the
Underway
surge workforce, taking into consideration vaccine rollout
Tracing
service  specification  for  funding  in  2021/2022  which  will  fund  PHUs  to  continue  to
increase their capacity. Further work is underway on contact tracing KPI’s and capacity
building HR20210762.
Review internal ‘surge plans’
GM COVID-19 Response/
Response are reviewing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to update in line with
Underway
DPMC Response Group
experience  since  December  last  year.  This  will  include  specific  scenarios;  schools
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Liaison
(complete), apartment blocks (complete), and other scenarios such as concerts or large
workplaces (not complete)
We will work with DPMC to review our surge plans across the all-of-government COVID-
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19 response
RECOMMENDATION 5: Ensure timely and consistent engagement with Ministers
Action
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Progress
Status
Ensure that advice to Ministers continues to be public health and science
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
The  commissioning  process  for  advice  to  Ministers  has  recently  been  refreshed  to
Ongoing
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led, and subject matter experts have reasonable opportunity to consider
enhance  clarity  and  consistency  of  requests  and  help  ensure  reasonable  timelines.
and provide input
However, the nature of COVID-19, particularly during response, and level of public and
political interest means that there will always be urgent requirements and challenging
deadlines
Ensure  advice  to  Ministers  is  provided  following  consultation  with  all
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
Ministry internal signoff process ensures that there is a clear expectation and audit trail
Ongoing
relevant  experts,  including  those  in  the  field  of  science,  operations  and
for  review  and  consultation  with  relevant  internal  (and  where  appropriate  external)
public health
experts.  This process  is being kept under regular  review  to ensure the  best  possible
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advice can be provided
Refine process around the need for urgent whole genome sequencing and
GM Science & Insights
Process  and  communication  channels  agreed  through  briefing  Process  for  Genomic
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expectations for results
Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 [HR20210199]
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RECOMMENDATION 6: Refresh and enhance national level frameworks and guidance for the response across the system
Action
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Progress
Status
Review  national  SOPs  with  consideration  of  management  of  cases  and
GM COVID-19 Contact
NITC are working with PHUs to refine national SOPs for case and contact management.
Underway
contacts
Tracing
This is set to be complete by the end of June 2021
Improve data quality issues in the NCTS by developing a user manual as
GM COVID-19 Contact
Development of user manual and training materials is underway, as part of the NCTS
Underway
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guidance
Tracing
redesign project. This is due to be completed by end of June 2021
Improve testing strategies to optimise early detection of an outbreak
GM COVID-19 Testing and
Improving testing strategies is ongoing. There are fortnightly reviews of DHB testing
Ongoing
Supply
plans.
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The Surveillance Strategy notes the potential use of other testing modalities, such as
wastewater testing. Advice will continue to be refined around the value of these different
testing methodologies.
The formal review of the Ministry’s Surveillance Strategy is scheduled for June 2021
Continue  to  apply  whole  genome  sequencing  and  related  tools,  to
GM Science & Insights
ESR  and  MOH  work  closely  to  support  cluster  management  and  genomic  sequence
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outbreak management
information is regularly provided as soon as possible
Revise the principles for the provision of PPE from the central supply to
GM COVID-19 Testing and
There are well established protocols for setting IPC guidance and PPE distribution. The
Underway
ensure clear communication with sectors
Supply
Ministry principles of supply for PPE are currently being reviewed. The refresh of these
will  be  published  on  the  Ministry  website  and  any  changes  to  be  communicated  to
INFORMATION
sectors by May 2021
Reinforce messaging to ensure relevant sectors understand the use and
GM COVID-19 Testing and
Worked  with  internal  sector  representative  to  engage  more  closely  with  sectors  to
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distribution of contingency stock
Supply
communicate what the stock is used for and how to access list of providers
Establish  a  dedicated  active  central  documentation  archive  across  the
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
We will work with knowledge management to further centralise the information held by
Underway
Directorate
the Directorate
Develop a checklist protocol to further enhance alert level changes papers
GM Planning and Advisory
The Ministry has worked with the DPMC COVID-19 Response Unit to develop a checklist
Complete
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to strengthen alert level changes papers
RECOMMENDATION 7: Improve engagement by Government agencies with, and support to, at-risk communities with cultural understanding and consideration
THE
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
Continually strengthen Māori, Pacific, and other ethnic groups, outbreak
GM COVID-19 Response
Cultural advisors are included in the response. There is an ongoing body of equity work
Ongoing
management capacity on a national scale
/Equity Advisor
undertaken by the Directorate and feedback from this review will inform that wider work
programme. The focus in this review was on how we can strengthen our response with
regard to other ethnic groups
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Appropriately engaging higher-risk communities
GM Communications and
Revise  the  protocol  with  DPMC  COVID-19  Group  and  District  Health  Board  (DHB)
Underway
Engagement
colleagues to identify and understand communication needs of high-risk communities
Ensure an equity component is included across all aspects of the response
GM COVID-19 Response
The  response  decision  framework  is  to  be  enhanced  to  include  a  stronger  equity
Underway
decision making framework
/Equity Advisor
component in consultation with the Directorate’s equity advisor
Ensure key public health messages for higher-risk communities and alert
GM Communications and
The translation of key public health messages is undertaken by DPMC COVID-19 group
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level material is translated into multiple languages in a timely manner
Engagement
and  published  to  the  covid.19.govt.nz  website.  The  Ministry’s  Communications  team
continues to work with this team to ensure timely and comprehensive translations.
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RECOMMENDATION 8: Continue to clarify roles and responsibilities during an outbreak response and ensure they are appropriately supported
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
Enhance  and  refine  role  clarity  and  workload  sustainability  for  the
Director of Public Health
The Office has reviewed respective roles and responsibilities for an outbreak which are
Underway
leadership  provided  by  the  Director  of  Public  Health  Office  during
soon to be finalised. There is a strong partnership between the COVID-19 Directorate
response
and the Office of the Director of Public Health
Further strengthen epidemiological expertise within the Ministry of Health
GM Science & Insights
The Ministry of Health, Science and Insights team has three epidemiologists who provide
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epidemiological advice across  the  COVID-19  directorate, including when required,  in
outbreak management
Increase engagement with DHBs on information relating to the COVID-19
National Director
The Ministry is working closely with DHBs to ensure that they are supported and can
Ongoing
ACT
vaccination rollout and in particular the capacity of the system to scale at
Operations, COVID-19
demonstrate their ability to pivot operations should there be an outbreak. BCP plans are
pace in the event of ‘ring vaccination’
Immunisation and
being developed and have been presented at the vaccine steering group
Vaccination Team
Review  and  strengthen  scenario  planning  for  the  Attorney  General  and
Chief Legal Advisor
Crown Law have provided advice and developed a template for section 70 orders
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Minister for COVID-19 Response to ensure processes are in place to ensure
the Medical Officers of Health’s authority is clearly invoked at the start of
response
Engage  closely  with  relevant  agencies  in  the  development  and
GM COVID-19 Border and
Working closely with partner agencies to develop plans for any future implementation
Ongoing
implementation of regional boundaries, and their associated exemptions
Managed Isolation
of the exemption process for regional boundaries
INFORMATION
during alert level changes
Build  on  and  embed  a  shared  process  of  understanding  for  Alert  Level
DDG, System Strategy and
Policy processes for Alert Level changes are continuously updated and refined following
Ongoing
changes.
Policy (SS&P)/GM COVID-
each resurgence. All processes are now templated and documented.
19 Response
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OVERARCHING THEME 1: Establish greater foresight in anticipating the next steps in an outbreak situation
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
During the first 48 hours in response, there is a need to convene specialists
GM COVID-19 Response
Since the Auckland February Outbreak, the COVID-19 Response team has reviewed the
Ongoing
to complete a situational review and forward-thinking response strategy
SOPs  from  the  previous  year  to  update  them  in  line  with  improved  practice.  They
based on public health principles
continue to build relationships with PHUs in order to support pre-emptive thinking, to
enable timely action, and link into the all-of-government response
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OVERARCHING THEME 2: Connect closely with key partner agencies earlier in response
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
ACT
Strengthen  engagement  between  the  Ministry,  cross-agency  and  local
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
Daily  command  chart  includes  all  relevant  agencies.  Rapid  reviews  and  more  formal
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level operations
reviews, occur across agencies to ensure emerging issues are addressed
Strengthen links and engagement with Ministry of Education (MoE) and
DCE COVID-19 Directorate
The Ministry has reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MoE and is
Complete/
Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI)
in discussions with MPI to update protocols for their involvement in any response
Underway
Ensure stakeholders are involved in the response from the beginning
GM COVID-19 Response
At an IMT level, all affected organisations are brought in at the earliest opportunity to
Complete
continue to the outbreak response
OVERARCHING THEME 3: Establish an approach to the classification of contacts to ensure a robust and efficient contact tracing function
Action
Owner
Progress
Status
INFORMATION
Ensure consistent guidance on the definition and management of contacts
GM COVID-19 Contact
Guidance on contact categories and their management has been developed and is used
Complete/
is disseminated across the sector to enable a consistent national approach.
Tracing
by  PHUs  and  the  NITC.  The  Ministry  is  currently  updating  guidance  in  line  with  the
Underway
lessons observed in recent outbreaks. A rapid review occurred in this outbreak of the
use  of  the  ‘changed  contact  classifications’  and  the  implications  of  this  approach.
Learnings from this rapid review were provided to the Director-General of Health and
will be incorporated in the updated guidance
OFFICIAL
Optimise NCTS, including increasing the ability to meet the needs of source
GM COVID-19 Contact
Work is underway, as part of the NCTS redesign project to be completed by the end of
Underway
and cluster identification
Tracing
June 2021 (HR20210603 refers)
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ACT
INFORMATION
OFFICIAL
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